Written interview with Jazz composer, musician, songwriter Grażyna Bienkowski․
Jazz Blues European Union: – Thank you for taking the time to have this interview with Jazz Blues EU. Tell us about your music. When did you start performing?
Grażyna Bienkowski։ – It’s so far away now, so if I remember correctly, I started playing the piano around the age of 7, the cello at 14. And I haven’t stopped since…
JBEU: – What do you consider to be your hometown and how does that affect your music?
GB: – I have lived in Brussels for more than half of my life now. I could say it’s my hometown because of that but, I consider it more a rest base when I come back from trips. It’s a capital where you can still retreat to peace and quiet. And I need calm between more intense moments. Certain places, cities or countries have the capacity to influence my music and give me inspiration. But very often, they are far from those that I’m used to living.
JBEU: – What performers have been your inspiration?
GB: – If I had to choose just one name in terms of influence, it would be Keith Jarrett.
I discovered him as a teenager when I was working Chopin, Bach or Rachmaninov scores. Very quickly he represented the synthesis of the complete pianist and the perfect model for me as a young pianist.
In terms of composition, my influences are numerous and range from classical to contemporary music to indie rock and jazz music. Among them: Robert Glasper, Alberto Iglesias, Leonard Bernstein, Tori Amos, Fink, Bill Evans, Claude Debussy, Randy Newman and many more…
JBEU: – What do you find most challenging about being an independent artist in today’s music industry?
GB: – To simply exist. To make yourself known, make yourself visible and then audible in a world full of musicians of all kinds drowned in the virtual mass.
JBEU: – What do you base your success on?
GB: – What’s success finally? If it’s commercial, I’m still far from having achieved it. If it’s personal, I’m still working on every day. Nothing is ever acquired; nothing is ever finished. I’m the kind of person who doesn’t get satisfied quickly with her work and keeps going and getting better. In my opinion, if it is to exist, my success will appear at the very end of my journey. I believe more in self-fulfillment as a form of success. But on the same time, I’m like most of artists/musicians, I hope to touch as many ears as possible during my lifetime.
JBEU: – Can you talk about your experiences collaborating with other artists or musicians? How does it influence your creative process?
GB: – As a composer or a player, I could be self-sufficient and compose for piano only and play alone at my piano…But: and this “but” is huge in terms of Music and the human side of my activity; Music is a universal language, it’s so enriching to nourish your own language at the crossroads of that of others. Expanding your creative spectrum as a composer is precious. Sharing the playing experience with other musicians as a performer is a wonderful adventure.
This also sometimes brings nice surprises. I always compose alone, and I need that. Starting from a very precise initial idea. Then, depending of the score I want to fix, I go to meet the musicians that I already hear, beforehand, in the musical piece concerned. Playing what I compose for the piano myself is essential. So, I need to have other musicians around me, I pay close attention to the feeling I could have with them. They are not only “instruments”. They are people I want to work with and they are musicians in front of whom I bare myself. Impossible for me to work with people who don’t relate to me on a human level. And, if they can’t have the good approach of my music, it won’t work. That’s a real exchange, in both directions. In this approach, mixing musicians from various genres brings an undeniable value for me. Collaborating with other musicians is a true meeting of souls.
JBEU: – What was your latest musical release?
GB: – My last album released in May 2024 under the French label December Square. ON THE EDGE OF SYLVIA is a literary soundtrack dedicated to the personality of the American poet Sylvia Plath.
JBEU: – Do you have any news to share? Could you share the story behind your latest new CD Grażyna Bienkowski – ON THE EDGE OF SYLVIA and what inspired its creation?
GB: – This album is a tribute to an American poet who died in 1963: Sylvia Plath. I discovered her poems more than 15 years ago and I immediately understood that her work would sooner or later inspire my work. It’s not her current status as an icon of feminism that caught my attention. I simply felt certain points in common between her and me, despite the decades that separate us. As women who create, we are not so different when faced with the challenges of everyday life.
I started the production of this 4th album in the beginning of covid period and with all the possible obstacles to its realization. But I didn’t want to give up on what was going to be my most personal album yet. ON THE EDGE OF SYLVIA brings together all my musical influences and I also invited other artists who have their place in my career (Ken Stringfellow, Douglas Kennedy,…).
It took time to release it finally in 2024, but I’m quite proud of the journey taken to achieve it. This album proved to me that I could not only be a composer and a pianist, but also a producer, a singer, and a real lyricist in English which is not my mother tongue. Even if one of my previous albums (Products of Love by Wolves) already positioned me as such, this one helped me to confirm my several roles.
JBEU: – How does your latest album fit into your creative path? Is this a goal you wanted to achieve?
GB: – I call ON THE EDGE OF SYLVIA a mid-term album. It’s like a synthesis of what I’m in music but not only. I also hope that with this album, I’ll make it clear that there is not necessarily a need to be classified in a single music style to exist. If it sounds good, that’s the most important result for me. No matter that I’m a classical musician first, or that I’m not a rock singer or a 100% jazz pianist…I’m a composer who wants to shine in every musical fields that resemble her.
JBEU: – How do you approach the process of songwriting, and are there any specific themes or emotions you tend to explore in your music?
GB: – I have 2 major sources of inspiration which are literature and cinema. And then, there is Life. I like to write based on what Life makes of us. My composition process is quick. I mentally hear my entire musical canvas. I know that if I haven’t looked around for too long, it will be the most authentic and therefore the right one. What comes after revolves around the domain of precision, details, arrangement, expansion, … There is no preconceived recipe (for example, first music then lyrics or the opposite). I’m someone who throws my ideas outside of myself like a torrent. As I have a lot of ideas, all the time, what I lack the most is the lack of time and the budget to materialize everything.
JBEU: – As an indie musician, how do you navigate the balance between creative freedom and commercial appeal?
GB: – What interests me is to keep my authenticity and be timeless. I think that just these 2 words already represent a difficulty for the current notion of “commercial appeal”. I never chased after that also. I just want to make my own music just as I feel and hear it. I know there is an audience for those aspects too. So I keep going on my musical path regardless of its commercial difficulty.
JBEU: – What role does technology and social media play in promoting your music and connecting with your audience?
GB: – They are very important for me as I’m an indie artist. But very often I feel overwhelmed by all the tools. I want to stay present and accessible for my audience but it also takes a lot of time. On the same time, without social media it would be even more difficult today. It’s like a love-hate relationship.
JBEU: – Could you describe a memorable live performance experience or tour that has had a lasting impact on you and your music?
GB: – I give importance to each of my concerts. Whether they are 50 or 350 people, I give of myself the same way. Maybe that’s why there isn’t one more than another that can hold my attention in particular? Each concert is made up of anecdotes that leave a memory that I take with me for the next one. My concerts life is not over yet. So, let’s wait and see, there will perhaps be one more striking than all the others? .
JBEU: – In an era of streaming platforms, how do you feel about the changing landscape of music consumption and its impact on independent musicians?
GB: – We can say that’s a question of generation. I belong to the generation that considers an album as a whole (booklet, cover,…) not just a song to download. So I still want to release CD’s even if its difficult to sell them. Music on platforms has its advantages and disadvantages. The key is to know exactly where you are as an artist and to use what exists to the best of your ability to continue creating. But I admit, all of this is very heavy for me to bear…Even more if you are alone.
JBEU: – Musicians often have a close relationship with their fanbase. How do you engage with your fans and build a dedicated community around your music?
GB: – It’s through my Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok pages that I want to stay present as much as possible for people who follow me and have interest for my music. When someone is writing to me, I try to answer quickly. When someone comes to meet me after a concert, I remain available to discuss. It’s so important for me to keep real contacts between people.
JBEU: – How can fans find you? Lastly, please share some final words with the fans.
GB: – You can “google” me or follow me here and there:
https://grazynabienkowski.com/
https://www.facebook.com/grazynabienkowskimusic
https://www.tiktok.com/@grazyna.bienkowski?_t=8kRvyaYgpQu&_r=1
https://www.instagram.com/grazynabienkowskimusic/
https://www.youtube.com/@grazynabienkowskimusic7652
https://open.spotify.com/intl-fr/artist/3fVmYWEDrSDghfsbud1Gv1
Without Music I would be nothing. But I don’t make music for myself.
So, thank you to all of you who appreciate and are listening, following, sharing what’s the most important for me in life. I wish us many more years together!
Interview by Olivia Peevas
